US troops killed in Afghanistan and Africa

Ronnie Kubik played electric guitar in a punk band during his high school days. He once came to school with a lime-green Mohawk, and a vice principal threatened to suspend him.

Using his own research, Kubik challenged the suspension all the way to the board of education - and won.

The next week, he cut off the Mohawk, having proved his point.

Kubik, of Brielle, N.J., was a 2006 graduate of Manasquan High School, where he wrote for the school newspaper, took acting classes, wrestled and played football. He learned to skydive, enjoyed whitewater rafting and was an avid fisherman.

Kubik was encouraged by his advanced placement teachers to attend law school, but he joined the Army instead. The 21-year-old died in combat April 23 in the Logar province of Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Benning.

"He accomplished a lot in a short period of time," said his father, Ronald Kubik. "I am going to miss my little fishing buddy."

He also is survived by his mother, Eileen Daly.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. John K. Laborde

John Laborde made it a priority to take care of those around him, whether they were family members or comrades.

At Thanksgiving, he didn't eat until everyone else had food. In Afghanistan, he made sure soldiers stayed hydrated in the triple-digit heat, and he lent them his phone and computer to talk with relatives on holidays. He also helped them register for classes to continue their education, said Lt. Col. Lawson Coapstick, who served with Laborde in the Army Reserve and called him "a soldier's soldier."

The 53-year-old from Waterloo, Iowa, collapsed after a physical training session and died of a heart attack April 22 at Kandahar Air Field. His unit was based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Laborde grew up and attended school in Marksville, La. His three decades of globetrotting military service began when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1975. He joined the Army Reserve in 1985, months before marrying his wife, Lori.

He enjoyed hunting, golfing, John Wayne movies and, as his daughter Tiffany recalled, fishing. But he had one rule: You had to bait your own hook. He also taught classes for high school students at his Catholic church.

Survivors include his five children.

Senior Master Sgt. James B. Lackey

James Lackey was a man of integrity who was dedicated to his family - exemplified by the way he helped his sister fight through her health problems, friends and family said.

"In every role that he had as a husband, father, son, young brother, he was loved by everyone in every capacity," said the Rev. Roger Peadro of First Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Fort Walton Beach. Lackey was a member of the church.

The 45-year-old airman from Green Cove Springs, Fla., was killed April 9 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, when the aircraft he was in crashed. He was assigned to Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle.

He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1983 and enlisted in the Air Force in 1986. He began his career as a maintenance crew chief before becoming a helicopter pilot.